How to setup audio surveillance from a CCTV DVR to TV Monitor

A customer had the following question in using our stand alone audio surveillance microphone with a Lorex CCTV DVR. The below thread documents the question and answer session that I had with the customer.

Customer Inquiry

I just received my MIC-CCTV-02 surveillance microphone, which can be used with or without my camera. I have it hooked up into the “audio” plug in and the audio is turned on for my cameras, but how do I hear it? I have everything running through my security DVR, which is hooked up to my HDTV and that input when I watch my security system doesn’t have audio. What am I missing? What do I need to do to listen to what I am hopefully recording?

Support Response

There should be an audio output on the back of your DVR. Typically it is located next to the audio input(s) but should be labeled audio out or audio output. Is your DVR connected to your TV using a coax cable or HDMI? If using coax, you should be able to connect the audio out of the DVR to an RCA audio input on your TV. If you are using HDMI, then you need to check with the manufacturer of your DVR to see if that model outputs audio through the HDMI.

Customer Reply

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly!! I have been outside in the hot Las Vegas sun and didn’t think you ‘d respond so quickly or I would have gotten back to you quicker. I have a DVI, output from my DVR to my TV. I have the Lorex Edge + Series, which is for 4 cameras. All of which are BNC connections and I have two audio in and audio out RCA style. So, I am lost and confused of how to listen/play back of what I am hopefully recording…..On my TV, I am on the audio input PC.

My system is supposed to allow me to listen, just haven’t been able to get it to work. I have the single RCA both ends and a single RCA that is split with wires, along with many stereo L and R cables. I tried hooking it into a speaker and that did absolutely nothing, as did the single RCA from the DVR to the TV. Unfortunately, when you by something from Lorex that is the end of their customer service skills! Spent 700.00 plus and two camera lasted only 13 months, just past any warranty and a third is on its way out. And many of the CCTV companies here don’t deal with Lorex either.

And my system is the DVI output to connect with my TV, but I had to use a HDMI converter to connect to the HDMI on my TV. I misstated that earlier…

I will reread your information and I hope I can resolve my issue.

Support Response

Being that we do not supply Lorex DVRs, I am not familiar with their capabilities but most surveillance DVRs share a lot of similar capabilities and limitations so I will go by how audio works with our iDVR and Viewtron product lines.

https://www.cctvcamerapros.com/Internet-Video-Surveillance-DVR-s/424.htm

https://www.cctvcamerapros.com/Viewtron-Video-Surveillance-DVR-s/654.htm

Both of these CCTV DVRs support audio surveillance via one or more RCA audio inputs (depending on the model). They also have one RCA audio output to be able to listen to live audio and/or playback recorded audio with video. This can be done in the following ways.

1) Connecting external speakers to the RCA audio output of the DVR.

2) If you are using an external spot monitor with RCA audio input, you can connect both audio and video to an external monitor.

Unfortunately, the HDMI output of these DVRs does not support audio output so if users want to connect both audio and video to an external monitor, they need to use the BNC video output that is paired with the RCA audio out.

Scenario #1 is much more typical, which is connecting the audio out of the DVR to external speakers. Computer speakers can be used but some additional cables are typically required. Here is why. Computer speakers typically use a 3.5mm plug to connect to an audio source, so you need to convert the 3.5mm to RCA to make it compatible with your DVR. We have never been able to find a manufacturer to make a 3.5mm to a single RCA converter (because PC speakers are in stereo and use two channels). But, we have found a 3.5mm to RCA stereo connectors (dual right and left). We also have a dual RCA to single RCA converter.

So, if you connect this sterio RCA male to single RCA female to your DVR:

https://www.cctvcamerapros.com/RCA-2-Male-1-Female-p/rca-1m2f.htm

Then connect this RCA to 3.5mm converter to the above connector:

https://www.cctvcamerapros.com/RCA-Male-to-Stereo-p/rca-2m1s.htm

You can then connect some inexpensive self-powered computer speakers to the above converter.

Here is a diagram of how to wire our stand alone mic to a CCTV DVR to the analog input of a TV or monitor.

Typically CCTV DVRs have a single RCA audio output. This is the case for our Viewtron and iDVR product lines.

You can use this single RCA male to double RCA female splitter to connect the single output of the DVR to a monitor that has dual input.

You can them connect a standard RCA cable like this one to the splitter and into your TV / monitor.